Hull City team bus has window SMASHED ahead of Championship play-off final vs Middlesbrough

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The Hull City team bus has been damaged by 'stones and bottles' ahead of the Championship playoff final with Middlesbrough. It has been reported that a window on the transport was smashed by objects just hours before the £200million promotion match, with a chance to play in the Premier League next season at stake.

The Tigers' players were staying at the Hilton Hotel a few hundred yards away from Wembley Stadium. The build-up to Saturday's showdown has been overshadowed by the Spygate scandal which has rocked English football after Southampton , who had beaten Boro in the semi-final, had been thrown out of the competition after being found guilty of spying.

It has yet to be confirmed whether the players were on the bus at the time, but the suggestion is that the damage was sustained as the mode of transport made its way to the team hotel where Sergej Jakirovic's side had been waiting.

Sky Sports reported: "The Hull team bus has had a window smashed this afternoon after objects were thrown at it on the way to the team hotel. The Hull players are just arriving out of the team hotel on to the bus, we can show you some damage to the team bus on its way to pick up the players some stones and bottles have been thrown at it so there has been some damage.

"They have had to knock out some of the glass on the exterior of the window, still OK for the players to make the very short journey to Wembley Stadium from here at the team hotel which is a few 100 yards away."

This Championship playoff has been one of the most controversial in recent memory due to the Saints' expulsion. Southampton learned their fate after the Spying scandal on Wednesday, following an appeal, some 72 hours before the showpiece was set to take place.

Southampton were said to have already sold 35,000 tickets as they looked to complete their immediate return to the Premier League following relegation 12 months ago.

But after being found guilty of spying on Boro in the lead up to the first-leg at the Riverside Stadium, as well as two other cases coming to light, they were expelled.

It isn't the first sign of disturbance towards team vehicles arriving at stadiums. In 2021, Manchester United supporters protested against the Glazers, and it led to a Liverpool team bus being blocked en route to Old Trafford after the fixture had been postponed in the weeks prior.

However, it became apparent that the Liverpool squad were on two other coaches to get the players to the ground. There was also damage to Manchester City's bus during their visit to Anfield ahead of their Champions League quarter-final showdown in 2018.

There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Mirror Sport will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.

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